Sea Dogs pick two in Import Draft

NHL.com

The Saint John Sea Dogs may have landed just what they needed in Wednesday's CHL Import Draft.

With the 22nd overall pick, the Sea Dogs selected Yan Kuznetsov, a Russian defenseman that's listed at 6'4" and 216 lbs. Kuznetsov was a second-round pick of the Calgary Flames in last year's NHL Draft.

Scouting reports indicate he is exactly the type of defenseman the Sea Dogs need.

"He has really good defensive fundamentals with a chance to grow his game offensively," said Flames' director of amateur scouting Tod Button last fall. "He definitely takes care of his own end first, but he's a player we think can play with more of a risk-taking, offensive defenseman on a middle pairing."

The catch? There's no guarantee the 19-year-old, who is eligible to play in the AHL, will be assigned to Saint John by the Flames this fall.

“We wanted a top 2-way defenseman with size who can shut down the opposition. Yan Kuznetsov is that,” Sea Dogs president and general manager Trevor Georgie said in a news release. “We have been very interested in him since he won gold here at TD Station during the Under 17s. He is a horse on the backend. We do not have any confirmation of the Flames’ plans for next season and respect whatever they decide. We are hopeful that he joins fellow Flames prospects Jeremie Poirier and Ryan Francis as we look to make a push next season. It is a risk but for a big reward, and we were willing to take that risk.”

Kuznetsov has spent the past two seasons with the NCAA's University of Connecticut Huskies, a program that has been attracting more and more import players in recent years. This past season the defenseman posted a goal and five assists in 16 games.

Following his college hockey season, Kuznetsov signed an entry-level contract with the Flames and joined the AHL's Stockton Heat, playing in six games. Signing an ELC as a college player means he can't return to UConn but is eligible to play in either the AHL or CHL this coming season.

The Sea Dogs have plenty of Flames connections with fellow 2020 draft picks Ryan Francis and Jeremie Poirier already on their roster. Head coach Greg Gilbert is a former Flames bench boss and associate coach Jeff Cowan played a few seasons in Calgary.

Kuznetsov also has plenty of international experience, including winning gold at the 2018 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge held in Saint John. He was held pointless in seven games with Russia at the 2021 world juniors in Edmonton.

The Sea Dogs used their second-round pick of the Import Draft on Belarusian forward Evgeny Sapelnikov. The 19-year-old recorded 15 goals and 24 assists in 58 games with the MHL's SKA Varyagi Morozova. 

“Evgeny will be a 19-year-old who adds scoring depth and energy on the wing,” Georgie said. “He likes to play his off-wing. As an 18-year-old last season, he was the second leading scorer on his team in the MHL. We anticipate that the adjustment to the CHL will be easier after playing two seasons in a strong league. We have spoken with him and he is excited to come join the Sea Dogs this season.”

Sapelnikov is the first Belarusian the Sea Dogs have ever selected in the Import Draft. Kuznetsov becomes the fifth Russian to be picked by the team.

The full results of this year's Import Draft can be found on the CHL website.